Automatic photoprinting and numbering device



' 1,582,339 a. F. MIKESELL ET m.

AUTOMATIC PHOTOPRiHTINg AND NUMBERING DEVICE April 27 .11926.

Filed April 4. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I lm'mwdu B. F. MIKESELL ET ALAUTOMATIC PHOTOPRINTING AND numazmms DEVICE April 27,1926. 1,582,339

Filed April 4. 1921 2 sheets-Eben 2 Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES rsazisse a l-ear r ce.

BENJATMIN F. MIKESELL AND HARRY F. GI LLIAM, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC PHOTOPRINTING its ivoiunnnme nnvron Application filed April 4,1921. Serial No. 458,173.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. MinnsiiLL and Haunr l GLLLIAM, citizensof the United States, and residents of Kansas City, county of Jackson,State of Missouri, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Photoprinting and Numboring Devices, of which the following isa complete specification.

The present invention relates to photo printing apparatus, and aims toprovide av novel and-improved numbering mechanism of a characterdesigned to be embodied as a part of the photo printing apparatus andoperated simultaneously with the phopo printing operation for marking anumber upon each of the prints as the same are produccd.

One particular obj act in view is to provide a combined photo printingand numbering apparatus of the character specified, in which thenumbering device is so constructed as to mark thenumher substantiallycentrally upon each photo print during the photo pri uting operation.

For carrying out this construction, we have devised a c ver membermovably mounted in relation to the photo printing surface, and providedwith a nmnbering device associated centrally with reference to saidcover member and operating in conjunction therewith to mark the numberupon the print during each photo printing operation. For this purposethe said cover member is provided with acentral opening for the mountingof the numbering device, which latter is mounted for a slight degree ofrelative movement to permit the use of a yielding actuating connectionbetween the cover and numbering device, and also for allowing the covermember to be tilted into an inclined position relatively to both theprinting surface and said numbering device while the latter is still inoperative position.

In this connection one of the special objects in view is to provide acover member movable into and out of operative relation to its printingsurface and having a yieldin g actuating means adapted to permit move-vment of said cover member away from the printing surface into aninclined position with reference to said surface.

TNith the foregoing general objects in view, the invention will now bedescribed by reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating oneform of construction which we have devised for embodying the proposedimprovements, after which the novel features therein will beparticularly set forth and claimed.

In the drawings Figure l is a side elevation showing a photo printingand numbering apparatus constructed in accordance with the presentinvention, portions of'tlie construction be ing broken away, and thedotted lines in said view illustrating the position assumed by themoving parts when thrown into inoperative position;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line ill- 1H of Figure 2;and

Figure 4!: is a similar section taken on the line lV-IV of Figure 1. i

ieferring now to the drawings in detail, these illustrate the improvedap ntrz-itus as conu'irising a framework, such as a table (3 providedwith supporting legs 7, within the top of which table is constructed alight. chamber or compartment 8 having an incandescent light bulb 9 forprinting purposes, the top of which light chamber or compartment 8 isprovided with the usual transparent photo-printing surface such as isafforded by a glass plate 10'for supporting a negative 11 and printpaper 12 in superposed relation in the usual manner, as illustrated inFigures 3 and i. The structure thus far described is common, and ourimprovements consist in the provision for enabling the print 12 to bemarked centrally with an identifying number applied substantiallycentrally of the print at the same time as the photo print is produced.

The print paper 12 and negative 11 are adapted to be pressed upon theprinting surfaceprovided by the glass plate 10 by means of a suitablelight-excluding cover member 14 somewhat larger in area than saidprinting surface, and carried by means of a pair of arms 15 fulcrumedupon pivot pins 16 carried in bracket lugs 17 formed as part of abracket 18 secured to the top of the table 6 at one side of the lightchamber 8. members 19 are attached to the pivoted ends of the arms 15 insuch a manner as to lift these arms and the cover member 14: carriedthereby into more or less elevated position about the axis of the pins16.

Formed centrally in the cover member 14 is an opening 20 adapted toaccommodatethe lower portion of the framework Spring 21 of a numberingmachine of any desired commercial form, having the usual number changinglever 24:. This machine is carried by a suitable frame piece 22connecting the forward ends of a pair of arms 23, the rear ends of whichare fulcrumed upon the inner ends of the pivot pins 16 as clearlyillustrated in Figure 2, thereby adapting the numbering machine 21 to belifted about the same axis as the cover member 1-1. However, the opening20 in the cover member is such as to provide sufficient clearance toaccommodate a slight tilting movement of the cover member 14: withreference to the frame portion 21 of the numbering machine in responseto the action of the spring elements 19 between successive photoprinting operations, as hereinafter described.

The numbering device proper 25 has the usual reciprocatory movementwithin the framework 21 of the numbering machine, said device 25 beingrecipro-cated by a plunger rod 26 retained normally elevated by means ofa coil spring 27, which rod 26 is in the present construction providedwith a yoke member 28 secured to the upper end of the rod 26 and havingat its oppo site ends a pair of pins 29 for retaining engagement with apair of coil compression springs 30, the lower ends of which springs 30are retained by means of a similar pair of ins 31 projecting up from theupper face of the cover member 1 1 at opposite sides of the numberingmachine 21. This spring construction is for the purpose of effectingengagement of the cover member 14L with the printing surface under aslight yielding pressure transmitted through the springs 30 by theaction of the operating means employed for depressing the plunger rod 26in the numbering operation.

The operating means referred to comprises a foot lever or pedal 35mounted in a floor bracket 86 and connected through a rod v37 with therear. end of a bell crank lever 38 fulcrumed to the upper end of uprightextension 39 from the bracket 18, the forward end of the lever 38forming a toggle connection with a link i0 having a turnbuckle 10; saidlink 10 being in turn provided with-a pivotal connection (as in dicatedat 11) with a plate 42 secured to the lower end of the plunger rod 26.The toggle connection to the numbering device is adapted to be broken byraising of the rod 37, on depressing the front end of the pedal 35, asindicated by the broken lines in Figure 1, and vice-versa is adapted tobe straightened in effecting the printing and numbering operation by thelowering of said rod 37 and depressing the rear end of said pedal 35 asshown in the full lines in Figure 1, the straightening movement of thetoggle being limited by means of a lug 45 formed on the front end of thebell crank lever 88 in position for limiting engagement with the rearend of the link 10.

In the operation of the apparatus, the negative and print paper areplaced in appropriate position upon the transparent printing surface,that is, on top of the plate 10 over the light chamber or apartment 8,and the cover member 1 1- with its numbering machine lowered by rockingof the pedal 35 into the position represented by the full lines inFigure 1. In this operation, the arms 15 and 23 are swung about the sameaXis with the cover member 1 1 retained at a slight angle to thenumbering machine 21, on account of the action of the springs 19, whichserve to maintain the upper face of the cover member 1 1 engaged withthe inclined lower face 16 of the frame piece 22, as shown in Figure 3.This allows the lower face of the numbering machine 21 to come firstinto engagement with the print paper'12, which may therefore be furtheradjusted by the operator before the final operation of printing andnumbering due to the straightening of the toggle connection. The finalmovement of the pedal then straightens said v toggle connection, therebydepressing the plunger rod 26 in engagement with the print, andsimultaneously rocking the cover member 11- also into lowered positionin engagement with the print 12 with a yielding pressure due to theconnections (formed by yoke 28 and springs 30) between said plunger rod26 and the upper face of the cover member 14. By means of the turnbuckle10 the stroke of the numbering device can be suitably adjusted forobtaining the proper relative movement between said device and the covermember 14,-.

It will thus be seen that we have pro-- vided a practical and eflicientapparatus for carrying out the desired objects of the invention. Theprovision for a tilting movement of the cover member, as represented inFigure 8, allows the operator to obtain access to the parts beneath thecover and conveniently from the front of the machine for positioning thenegative and print paper and adjusting the position thereof as often asdesired, without any unnecessarily wide range of movement of the covermemher, and the yielding action with which the cover member is appliedinto photo-printing position obviates any danger of the opera torsfingers becoming injured in case thev should be caught beneath the covermember. Furthermore the marking of the prints with the desired numbersubstantially centrally upon the print is a feature of advantage, ascompared with the usual marking operation upon the margin of the printwhere the number is often cut away in the trimming of the print.

While we have illustrated what We now deem to constitute the preferredform of construction for embodying the improvements, we wish to beunderstood as reserving the right to make such changes or modificationsas may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A photo printing apparatus comprising a framework having a lightchamber provided with a transparent printing surface, a cover membermovable into and out of cooperative relation to said printing surface,anumbering device associated with the central portion of said covermember and movable relatively thereto, means for actuating saidnumbering device into engagement with the photo print, a connectionbetween said actuating means and said cover member operative to actuatesaid cover member yieldingly into photo printing position, and aprojection formed on said numbering device for engaging and lifting saidcover member into inclined position between successive printingoperations.

2. A photo printing apparatus comprising a frame-work having alightchamber provided with a transparent printing surface, a cover membermovable into and out of cooperative relation to said printing surface,said cover member having 'acentral opening, and an independentlysupported numbering device operating through said opening to mark a.number on the photo print, means for actuating said numbering deviceinto engagement with the photo print, and means actuated by said firstmeans for simultaneously moving said cover member into photo printingposition.

3. A photo printing apparatus comprising a framework having a lightchamber provided with a transparent printing surface, a cover membermovable into and out of cooperative relation to said printing surface,said cover member having a cent-ral opening and a numbering deviceoperating through said opening to mark a number on the photo print, saidcover member and numbering device being provided with independentsupporting arms mounted for swinging movement about the same axis, andmeans for simultaneously actuating said cover member and numberingdevice into photo printing and numbering position and adapted to movesaid cover member into inclined relation to said printing surfacebetween successive printing operations.

4. A photo printing apparatus comprising a framework having a lightchamber provided with av transparent printing surface, a cover membermovable into and out of cooperative relation to said printing surface,said cover member having a central opening, and an independentlysupported mimbering device operating through said opening to mark anumber on the photo print, and operating mechanism including togglelinks operative on straightening thereof to sin'iultaneously actuatesaid cover member and numbering device into printing and numberingposition, and means adapted on breaking of said toggle links to movesaid cover member into inclined relation to said printing surface.

In witness whereof we hereunto affix our signatures.

BENJAMIN F. MIKESELL. HARRY F. GILLIAM.

